The present invention relates generally to electrical connectors or sockets for making edge connections with printed circuit boards (PCBs). Although not limited, it is particularly adapted for making edge connections with PCBs that are being subjected to quality evaluation or other testing in an automated environment. Such PCBs include but are not limited to Dual In-Line Memory Modules (DIMMs), SO-DIMMs (Small Outline DIMMs) and RIMMs (RAMBUS In-Line Memory Modules).
There are a wide variety of known electrical connectors or sockets for making edge connections with PCBs. Some include surfaces for guiding a PCB during connection with the socket. Others include release mechanisms to facilitate removal of a PCB from a socket. However, none appear to be adapted or well adapted to progressively correct initial misalignments that may be present when a PCB is being inserted into its socket. Further, none appear to provide a release mechanism that is interactive with an alignment mechanism.
A suitable alignment mechanism can be particularly desirable in automated testing environments where a testing jig, including a PCB test socket, is used as part of a quality evaluation program or otherwise to test PCBs at the output of a PCB production line. In such environments, robotic controls may be used to automatically handle and insert each PCB into the test socket. If so, then the robotic control itself must have the means to ensure that the PCB is precisely aligned with the test socket before insertion. Alternatively, the test socket must offer a means for correcting any misalignment before insertion.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide an electrical socket for a PCB which has a new and improved alignment mechanism serving to progressively correct misalignment between the PCB and the socket as the PCB is inserted into the socket.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a socket of the foregoing type which includes a release mechanism interactive with the alignment mechanism.
In a broad aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electrical socket of the type comprising a main housing having an elongated slot-for receiving a mating edge of a PCB such that an array of electrical terminals spaced along the edge frictionally engages and electrically connects with a corresponding array of electrical terminals carried within the housing. The socket includes a pair of guides supported near opposed ends of the slot for aligning the board with the slot as the edge is inserted into the slot. Each of the guides includes a base surface and guide surfaces sloping upwardly and away from the base surface for directing the edge to register with the slot while progressively correcting misalignment between the edge and the slot. In a preferred embodiment, the guide surfaces include an opposed pair of guide surfaces sloping upwardly and away from opposed sides of the base surface, and a guide surface that extends between the opposed pair of guide surfaces and also slopes upwardly and away from said base surface.
Preferably, the guide surfaces include a sloped planar surface extending upwardly from the base surface of the guide in a direction longitudinally away from the slot; and an opposed pair of sloped planar surfaces extending upwardly from the base surface in a direction transverse to the longitudinal direction of the slot.
Further, each of the guides is preferably carried by an associated guide support which permits movement of the guide upwardly and downwardly relative to the slot, each of the guides being biased (for example, by a compression spring) towards an upper position. When the edge of the PCB is fully received by the slot, the strength of the bias is insufficient to overcome the force of frictional engagement between the array of electrical terminals spaced along the edge and the corresponding array of electrical terminals carried within the main housing.
Advantageously, each of the guide supports includes a release lever for forcibly moving the associated guide from a lower position towards an upper position against the force of frictional engagement between the edge array of PCB terminals and the array of terminals carried within the main housing. In a preferred embodiment, each release lever is pivotally mounted to its associated guide support and is pivotally biased (for example, by a torsion spring) to a position permitting its associated guide to be moved to a lower position in the guide support without interference from the lever.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings.